Jennifer Lopez opened up to the British press at a special London screening of her latest movie Unstoppable.
The actress stars in the biopic - produced by ex Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's production company - as Judy Robles, who became a teen mum to Anthony Robles (played by Jharrel Jerome), a one-legged wrestling champion and author.
On the blue carpet at Cineworld Leicester Square, Lopez spoke almost cryptically about how "things always happen for a reason", just months after filing for divorce from her husband.
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Jennifer Lopez poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Unstoppable' on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in London (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)While talking about the actors' strike interrupting filming, when she was just two days out from finishing, JLo mused on its impacts.
"I had to come back for two days, six months later, or whatever it was, but we got through it," she told Heart Radio.
"And sometimes things happen, I think - not sometimes, things always happen for a reason - and it gave Jharrel more time to kind of get ready for these scenes, these are not easy scenes that he had to do with the wrestling and stuff like that.
"It gave me time to think about other aspects of it and see some of the scenes done already and know what to infuse for the stuff that I still had left.
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Actors Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez (left) with director William Goldenberg (centre) and the real life Anthony Robles and Judy Robles (right). (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)"So, things always work out for the best."
JLo revealed during the Q&A at the event that at first she thought Judy would be a "small character" but after meeting her, felt it was a story about both of them.
Lopez said the film was "very relatable" for women in "challenging relationships" and praised Robles as an example of benefitting "from her life experience, as opposed to being brought down by" it.
"I think a lot of women have gone through that, and she (Judy) and I talked a lot," the mum of twins Max and Emme, 16, told the audience inside the cinema.
Jennifer Lopez posed for photos with Judy Robles, the real life woman she plays in Unstoppable (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)"We got to know each other. I wanted her to really feel safe with me (while) sharing details, because as great as the story is, without the struggle, that's what makes it great."
"There was a whole different story there that she was living, that you hide from your children, you protect your children from that.
"But I thought it was really, really important to not just play the mum who the kids knew, but to play the woman who raised these children and where she found her own strength and her own struggles, and was able to put that and make sure her children ... benefited from her life experience, as opposed to being brought down by the things that she was struggling with.
On the blue carpet, Lopez spoke almost cryptically about how "things always happen for a reason", just months after filing for divorce from her husband, Affleck. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
Lopez also spoke about throwing her support publicly behind Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the US election. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)"And for me, it was just a full, beautiful character to play, and I really enjoyed kind of losing myself and ... I didn't want anybody to see me in it. I wanted them to see Judy in it."
The premiere took place in the UK just as the US election vote count was about to kick off.
Lopez, who threw her support publicly behind Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, said she chose to front a recent Las Vegas rally to help "empower" others.
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"I was very keen to get out there and was very particular with the message that I wanted to deliver personally to people because I know that is what I want to hear," she told ITV News.
"You matter, you are important, you have the power, go out there and use it and I think sometimes we forget that.
"We think we are just one person and we're not going to make a difference."
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